Join the National Swarm the week of Valentine's Day!

This Valentine's Day, BEE Protective of honey bees and other pollinators and join thousands of people coast-to-coast to swarm Home Depot and Lowe’s stores the week of Valentine’s Day (February 10th-16th).

“Hi, my name is _______ and I’m a concerned ______ (Lowe’s or Home Depot) customer. I am here today to urge you to stop selling bee-killing neonic pesticides, as well as plants pre-treated with these pesticides to protect honey bees and other pollinators essential to our food supply and the environment. I purchase garden supplies from _____ (Lowe’s or Home Depot), but I’m very disappointed to learn that many of the “bee-friendly” seedlings and plants sold to unsuspecting consumers in your stores have been pre-treated with neonics. Please pass this valentine and my concerns to your corporate headquarters.”

Key Talking Points

One out of every three bites of food depends on honey bees and other pollinators.

A growing body of science has implicated neonicotinoids – the most widely used class of insecticides in the world -- as a significant factor in recent global bee declines.

A pilot study released last summer found that many bee-friendly garden plants sold at Home Depot and Lowe's contain neonicotinod pesticides - without any warning to consumers.

The EU suspended the use a many neonicotinoid pesticides last year, and the majority of the UK's big home improvement retailers are refusing to sell them at their stores. Home Depot and Lowe's should follow suit.

To be leaders in sustainability and pollinator protection, Lowe's and Home Depot should stop selling plants poisoned with neonicotinoids and stock their shelves with "bee friendly" certified organic starts and plants.

Stacy, Friends of the Earth (stacydmalkan@gmail.com) and Paul, PAN (ptowers@panna.org)

Minneapolis, MN

Wed, Feb 12

11:30AM

Caribou Coffee at 11:15am:
1730 New Brighton Blvd (in the shame shopping center on the side closer to 18th)

Home Depot

TBA

OCA, PAN

Pat, OCA (patrick@organicconsumers.org) and Lex, PAN (lex@panna.org)

Chicago, IL

Wed, Feb 12

11:00AM

TBA

Home Depot

TBA

OCA

Mike, OCA (mikedvegan@gmail.com)

Eugene, OR

Sat, Feb 15

TBA

TBA

TBA

TBA

Beyond Toxics

John, Beyond Toxics (jjcascade@beyondtoxics.org)

Thank you for taking the time to BEE Protective of pollinators! If you haven't told us you'll be delivering a Valentine, make sure to sign up below!

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Scientific studies are consistently finding that a new, and increasingly popular class of pesticides, called neonicotinoids, are significant contributors to the devastating decline of pollinators across the globe. They include imidacloprid, acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, nithiazine, thiacloprid and thiamethoxam. Peer-reviewed science has repeatedly identified these insecticides as highly toxic to honey bees and other pollinators. Once applied, plants take up these pesticides and exude them in their pollen and nectar, subsequently endangering any pollinators that forage on these contaminated plants.

A report co-released late last year by Beyond Pesticides, Friends of the Earth, and other allies revealed that the neonicotinoids may be lurking in our own gardens. In lieu of federal action to restrict the chemicals, we must take a stand against retailers who continue to sell poisoned plants.

For a list of all actions and alerts by Beyond Pesticides, see our actions page!